Ethiopia as a Place to Live and Work

Visa and Immigration Requirements

Visas are required for all foreign visitors to Ethiopia, with the exception of nationals of Kenya and Djibouti. Visas may be obtained at Ethiopia’s diplomatic missions overseas. However, nationals of 37 countries are now allowed to receive their tourist visas on arrival in Ethiopia. The nationals of these countries can also apply for a tourist visa on line at www.evisa.gov.et. The list includes Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, the New Zealand, North Korea, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom and United States.

Health Requirements

A yellow fever certificate is required for some African destinations. Vaccination against cholera is also required for any person who has visited or transited a cholera infected area within six days prior to arrival in Ethiopia.

Public Holidays

Public holidays are celebrated according to the Ethiopian (Julian) Calendar which consists of the following:

September 2018– September 2019 Year

Date

Public holidays

Remarks

September 11

Ethiopian New Year

National holiday

September 27

The Finding of the True Cross (Meskel)

Christian holiday

October 26

Id Al Adaha (Arafa)

Muslim holiday

January 7

Ethiopian Christmas

Christian holiday

January 19

Ethiopian Epiphany

Christian holiday

January 24

Prophet Mohamed’s Birthday(Maulid)

Muslim holiday

March 2

Victory of Adwa

National holiday

May 1

International Labor Day

National holiday

May 3

Ethiopian Good Friday

Christian holiday

May 5

May 5

Ethiopian Patriots day

Easter

National holiday

Christian holiday

May 28

Downfall of the Derg

National holiday

August 8

Id Al Fater (Ramadan)

Muslim holiday

The maximum number of office closure days in a year is 12.

Business Hours

Government

Government offices work 39 hours in a week. Office hours extend from 8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. (lunch break from 12.30 p.m. to 1.30 p.m.) Monday through Thursday, and from 11.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. on Fridays.

Banks

Most banks are open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., including lunch hours, Monday through Friday. Most banks are also open on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 noon.

Ethiopia has 3 public banks and 16 private banks, as well as numerous insurance companies (one public and 15 private) and 31 micro-finance institutions. Internationally recognized credit cards such as Visa and Mastercard are available in Ethiopia through two leading Ethiopian banks, the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia and Dashen Bank. Until recently, Dashen Bank was the only Ethiopian bank to distribute Mastercard, but in March 2014 Awash International Bank (AIB) announced a partnership with Mastercard International.